5 ms·

That explains the relation between Alzheimer and sleeping disorders.

by marvel_boy 8y ago

cpncrunch 8y ago
No it doesnt. Read the article...causality is still unvlear.
- notaharvardmba 8y ago
  Let's walk through this: People who are insomniacs are more likely to get less sleep. Could this same group also more likely to take anticholinergic sleep drugs (diphenhydramine)? There is a good link starting to be established between those drugs and dementias of all types. See https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2091745 https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullar..., or a bloggy summary if you're so inclined: https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/common-anticholinergic-drugs-like-benadryl-linked-increased-dementia-risk-201501287667 https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/common-anticholinergic-d... The link is alarming enough you should think seriously before taking things like Zzzquil, Benadryl, Tylenol PM, etc. if you value your mental faculties.. But maybe the correlation in this article is at least partially explained by this other link. Personally the other theories (brain garbage collection during sleep, etc.) also make a lot of sense. And don't forget about the fungal theory: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24614898 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24614898
  - lucidone 8y ago
    I don't have much to add, but I know some of these drugs (ie DPH) are serious deliriants at high doses. It causing a loss of mental faculties with long term use would not surprise me.
  - toast0 8y ago
    Diphenhydramine is an anti-hystimine, that happens to make you drowsy (it's also a mild anti-depresent, which lead to somr targetted anti-depresents).
    - loa-in-backup 8y ago
      I guess it's a complex organic molecule with multiple interactions
- guiambros 8y ago
  True. But it's also well known that Alzheimer's increases the buildup of amyloid-beta, which latches into hippocampus (memory) and thalamus (which controls sleep). With lack of sleep, your brain is unable to get rid of the excess of amyloid-beta. It's unknown if lack of sleep causes the onset of Alzheimer's, but the opposite is likely true: Alzheimer's patients don't sleep well. So once it starts to develop, it spirals down likely because of sleep deficiency, thus accelerating memory loss. Source: "Why We Sleep", by Matthew Walker. We had a few threads recently about the book here [1], [2]. [1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17381235 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17381235 [2] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17446932 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17446932

That explains the relation between Alzheimer and sleeping disorders.

cpncrunch 8y ago

No it doesnt. Read the article...causality is still unvlear.

notaharvardmba 8y ago
Let's walk through this: People who are insomniacs are more likely to get less sleep. Could this same group also more likely to take anticholinergic sleep drugs (diphenhydramine)? There is a good link starting to be established between those drugs and dementias of all types. See https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2091745 https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullar..., or a bloggy summary if you're so inclined: https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/common-anticholinergic-drugs-like-benadryl-linked-increased-dementia-risk-201501287667 https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/common-anticholinergic-d... The link is alarming enough you should think seriously before taking things like Zzzquil, Benadryl, Tylenol PM, etc. if you value your mental faculties.. But maybe the correlation in this article is at least partially explained by this other link. Personally the other theories (brain garbage collection during sleep, etc.) also make a lot of sense. And don't forget about the fungal theory: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24614898 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24614898
- lucidone 8y ago
  I don't have much to add, but I know some of these drugs (ie DPH) are serious deliriants at high doses. It causing a loss of mental faculties with long term use would not surprise me.
- toast0 8y ago
  Diphenhydramine is an anti-hystimine, that happens to make you drowsy (it's also a mild anti-depresent, which lead to somr targetted anti-depresents).
  - loa-in-backup 8y ago
    I guess it's a complex organic molecule with multiple interactions
guiambros 8y ago
True. But it's also well known that Alzheimer's increases the buildup of amyloid-beta, which latches into hippocampus (memory) and thalamus (which controls sleep). With lack of sleep, your brain is unable to get rid of the excess of amyloid-beta. It's unknown if lack of sleep causes the onset of Alzheimer's, but the opposite is likely true: Alzheimer's patients don't sleep well. So once it starts to develop, it spirals down likely because of sleep deficiency, thus accelerating memory loss. Source: "Why We Sleep", by Matthew Walker. We had a few threads recently about the book here [1], [2]. [1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17381235 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17381235 [2] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17446932 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17446932